One of the final pieces of the post-Hayman fire recovery will slip into place at sunrise June 20 with the re-opening of a portion of Cheesman Reservoir to public fishing. Anglers will be able to access the Goose Creek arm of the impoundment southwest of Deckers following an initiative by Denver Water to remove burned trees that might have posed a safety hazard.
The 2002 fire, Colorado’s largest in recorded history, scorched virtually all of the land surrounding the reservoir, a major element in Denver Water’s South Platte River storage system. Denver Water since has been working to ameliorate the effects of the fire. In conjunction with public organizations that performed extensive construction, the water agency last summer helped facilitate the opening of a trail from a parking area near the reservoir to the South Platte River just below the dam.
Cheesman is near full storage capacity. A new access trail has been completed to the Goose Creek area, where picnic tables and bear-proof trash cans have been installed. The Goose Creek arm is a favored habitat for smallmouth bass. The reservoir also contains rainbow and brown trout, kokanee, yellow perch and northern pike. Regulations prohibit all watercraft or wading. Denver Water will facilitate another recovery project with the July 17 opening of its Antero Reservoir, which had been drained during the 2002 drought.
